Because
by kyokoulady
Summary: Takumi x Akira discover their feelings for each other. A short and sweet story about the thoughts of Takumi and Akira during that scene in Episode 16 or 17.


**Title: Because**

**Pairing: Takumi x Akira**

**Notes: The story makes reference to Ep 16-17 (I think)**

_**Disclaimer: Mai Hime's not mine**_

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_Crap! He saw me!_

Akira's first reaction should have been to eliminate Takumi but instead she flushed red at being caught in a state of undress by her room-mate.

Takumi's footsteps rushed towards their shared living area and Akira immediately followed, determined to carry out her instructions – to eliminate those who discovered her true gender.

In her younger years, it was never difficult for Akira to live and act as a boy. She was as good as a son to her father and she was grateful for the relentless training that made her as she was today.

Unfortunately, Akira's adolescent years changed all that. It all began with the physical changes. Her chest began to develop; she tried to ignore it for as long as she could, hoping against hope that they would stop growing. In the end she was forced to bind them tightly with bandages to alleviate any suspicions regarding her gender.

The idea of bandaging wasn't new; all female warriors had done so in the past. The problem for Akira was that ninjas and samurai's tended not to wear as well fitted clothes as the ones provided by the school Akira's family paid high tuition fees for her to attend.

A school where interesting events happened and interesting identities revealed.

Of all the Hime, Akira was the most secretive and well versed in combative techniques. But Akira had never gone out of her way to discover why she had a machine-like beast to summon.

Then one fateful day, a boy named Takumi happened to become her roommate.

After a few weeks when they became accustomed to each other's little habits, they fell into an easy morning routine. Akira was a very habitual person. She woke up at exactly the same time each morning and left precisely fifteen minutes after she woke to train at a secret clearing she found shortly after her arrival.

Initially Akira was wary of Takumi and had prepared several excuses to explain her absence in the early mornings. Takumi either wasn't interested or just didn't pry. Whichever the reason, Takumi never asked questions and Akira never brought it up. Slowly but surely they began to relax around each other and develop a tentative but strong friendship.

Akira had never encountered anyone as kind and friendly as her room-mate. It was the little things he did, like making the occasional big breakfast after a tough training session or waiting after school for her, and (most likely unknowingly) keeping at bay the babble of obsessed girls that now and again mobbed Akira each time a new rumour popped up.

Takumi was a one of a kind boy. He was unlike any of their male classmates and Akira was intrigued.

Perhaps her sketching was a medium for her to let her mind wander and speculate about why she found him so fascinating. One of Akira's favourite hobbies was to draw, but never before was she found to be as zealous to her sketchpad as she was now. If she had a free moment, (and even when she didn't), she'd inevitably find herself sketching her favourite model. Full body or portrait, some were of him staring out to nowhere, others were of him looking animatedly at the drawer. All of them were drawn with such detail that the casual observer would have supposed the model to be someone close to the drawer's heart.

Then one day Akira noticed that she had become the focus of another rumour. Each time she saw a mob of girls with their eyes following her, she made it a point to find out what the enemy (as she now classed them) were so fixated about. It would not do if anyone even had an inkling of an idea about her true gender, if they had they would have been compromised beyond all hope of help.

This time the rumours concerned herself and her new room-mate. She heard whispers here and there of imagined scenes between her and Takumi. A few moments more of listening and Akira scurried away, cheeks flushed as bright as a beacon. Whether Takumi ever heard the rumours concerning the both of them she never knew, but since she detected no change in his behaviour towards her, she assumed with relief that nothing had reached his ears.

As the months passed, Takumi soon became Akira's closest friend. Little by little Takumi unwittingly weaved his way into an essential part of Akira's life. When Takumi became sick, she worried; when she was not with him she began looking for him; when he was alone she was more than willing to keep him company. Akira liked having Takumi to herself, she liked conversing with him. Not to mention it gave her extra time to dwell on the features of her subject matter. In fact, it seemed that Takumi had gradually snuck inside Akira's affections without her knowledge or consent.

On the other side of the fence, Takumi didn't know when seeing, talking and doing things for Akira became a significant part of his day. He didn't realise the warm feeling in his heart he grew to treasure was from just being with Akira. He never even registered that he noted all of Akira's favourite foods and made them especially when Akira felt a little under the weather. It didn't occur to Takumi that perhaps he cared more for his room-mate than was usual amongst best friends. But in true Takumi fashion, he just let himself flow with the tide of events.

However, unbeknownst to her on this day of new discoveries, Akira's favourite model had not taken his medicine for the afternoon. Unfortunately for Takumi, this coupled with the added shock of finding his best friend not quite what he seemed, was too much for his health.

In a flash, as he was suddenly held captive by a sharp weapon held against his neck, all the odd little things Takumi had noticed about Akira and his habits finally made sense. Why Akira never went swimming. Why Akira never took an interest in the obviously interested girls around him. Why Akira blushed at the slightest of incidents. Why Akira demanded privacy in their shared dorm.

The sharp object against his neck didn't matter anymore. Takumi suddenly felt as if life was no longer worth living anyway. If his life was needed as payment for having seen something he shouldn't have, he'd gladly sacrifice it for Akira. After all, Akira had been a good friend. An abrupt pain in his chest halted his thoughts.

Akira, stuck between mind and heart, took only a moment to decide to save her best friend. Extracting a few pills from his medicine box she shoved them into his mouth. Takumi only coughed them out and refused to help himself save his own life. And that was when Akira's head caught up with her heart. She liked Takumi, she liked Takumi very much, and she was damned if he wasn't going to live after what she'd just discovered. Popping the abandoned pills in her mouth, she lowered her head to Takumi's and forced him to swallow the life saving capsules.

Although he was in pain the kiss of life Akira bestowed upon him gave him new hope. Time stood still, and in this moment Takumi truly appreciated his life the way it was. He realised that all along he'd wanted to become more than friends with Akira.

Because he liked Akira.

He liked Akira very much.


End file.
